Benin at its true size
Benin covers 114,763 km², number 100 of 194 countries by area. Home to 14,814,460 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 114,763 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 14,814,460 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 129 per km² |
| Capital | Porto-Novo |
| Local time in Porto-Novo | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 IANA |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) Wikidata |
| Languages | French |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +229 |
| Codes | BJ · BEN · 204 |
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Where Benin ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#76 of 19415 million people#28 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#70 of 194129 people per km²#14 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#126 of 19253% urban#23 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#14 of 1924.48 births per woman#12 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#26 of 192+2.40% a year#17 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#14 of 19233.4 births per 1,000 people#12 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#58 of 1928.7 deaths per 1,000 people#10 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#14 of 19241.3% under 15#13 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#161 of 1923.2% aged 65 and over#31 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#100 of 192−0.5 per 1,000 people#21 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#119 of 1900.09 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#44 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#184 of 19261.0 years#46 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#17 of 19145.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#15 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#146 of 1780.22 doctors per 1,000 people#23 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#132 of 14510.2% gross enrolment#18 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#170 of 190an index of 0.515#36 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#155 of 185$1,600 a person#28 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#160 of 18434% online#31 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#153 of 184$4,817 a person#28 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#9 of 187+8.1% a year#4 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#138 of 176+1.1% a year#40 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#165 of 1781.6% of the labour force#49 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#28 of 14927.2% under $3.00 a day#28 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#74 of 149a Gini index of 34.4#37 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#40 of 17840.2% of jobs#27 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#100 of 17818.3% of jobs#17 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#144 of 17841.4% of jobs#30 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#92 of 1842.0% of GDP#25 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#141 of 16817.1% of GDP#38 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#121 of 1550.9% of GDP#37 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#64 of 191126 subscriptions per 100 people#10 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#152 of 1850.49 tonnes a person#27 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#104 of 19228% forest#19 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#44 of 19054.5% renewable#32 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#166 of 19259.0% with electricity#30 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#24 of 19139.7 µg/m³#10 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#22 of 19136.1% of the land protected#7 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#24 of 19032.3% of the land arable#9 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#160 of 1761.0% of its available fresh water#44 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#89 of 1801,039 mm a year#24 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Benin’s area, lit up on the map →
How many times does Benin fit into…
- Russia: about 149 times
- Canada: about 87 times
- United States: about 86 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Benin shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Niger4,180 km
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Benin. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Benin
- How big is Benin?
- Benin covers 114,763 km², which makes it number 100 of 194 countries by area. About 14,814,460 people live there (2025), 129 per km².
- Is Benin bigger than Honduras?
- Benin and Honduras are almost exactly the same size. Benin: 114,763 km²; Honduras: 112,492 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Benin?
- Benin lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Benin?
- Benin shares a land border with Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Togo.